IT services review update

Review Status

The IT Services Review review has been in progress for just over six months and is taking a deep and expansive look at all IT services delivered across the university. The scope of the review includes all units and departments that provide or support IT services. There are four key information gathering activities underway capturing the data and information the Committee requires to develop its findings and recommendations. These include:

Stakeholder feedback process – collection of direct feedback (either through face-to-face meetings with the Committee panel or through written submissions in response to an IT Services questionnaire)
Online community survey – a comprehensive online survey regarding IT services delivered across the University, open to the entire McMaster community
IT expenditure analysis – determining how much the University spends on IT including the expenditures by departments and units for hardware and other needs and services
IT Services environmental scan – a comprehensive inventory of McMaster’s IT services through the completion of an online survey by IT units and those departments housing IT support

Stakeholder Feedback Process

A critical activity of the review has been the Stakeholder Feedback Process outlined in 1 above, where the Committee obtained direct feedback from stakeholders. In March 2016, the Committee spent two days on campus meeting with 18 stakeholder groups (approximately 85 individuals) from the faculty, staff and student communities. Those meetings involved people from across the six faculties and from various University departments. Additional meetings with the Committee have occurred since the onsite sessions. These involved another five stakeholder groupings (and approximately 20 individuals). In addition to the face-to-face sessions, approximately 75 individuals have submitted written feedback on IT service delivery at McMaster. For the complete list of stakeholder groupings and the IT feedback questionnaire, please refer to the IT Services website. This participation in the stakeholder feedback process demonstrates substantial interest of the community and its high level of engagement in this subject.

Overview

The Committee heard direct and detailed feedback from these groups and individuals. Many diverse opinions and priorities have been proposed. The underlying goal of the stakeholder feedback process is to provide individuals with an opportunity to share their opinions and make their views known. This process also typically points to concerns that people have and isn’t necessarily designed to solicit commentary on what they find works best. Therefore, due to the very nature of this process, the focus is on areas that people feel require improvement and are areas of most concern relating to IT services at McMaster. This document is meant neither to capture each and every opinion, nor to be specific to any one set of opinions or suggestions. It is meant to share the common themes arising from the stakeholder feedback process.

It is also important to note that this document does not include any opinion or view of the Committee itself – these themes are purely the perspective of the stakeholder groups that were interviewed.

Common Stakeholder Feedback Themes

It is clear there is a high level of concern regarding IT at McMaster. Both IT service providers, and those receiving and depending on IT services, share significant frustration with the current IT situation and environment. The depth and breadth of the concerns are university-wide and significant.

During these discussions it was also clear there are high and significant levels of engagement and enthusiasm around how to improve the IT environment at McMaster. All Committee sessions involved thoughtful suggestions by participants to improve McMaster’s IT delivery.

The current IT environment needs to be set in the context of the recent MOSAIC ERP implementation. The implementation of MOSAIC was the University’s most pressing and urgent IT priority, which resulted in other projects and needs being put on hold and resources being allocated to support the priority project.

The implementation of, and transition to, the MOSAIC ERP has been a challenge for many across campus. While many administrative users have indicated that the functionality of Mosaic has greatly improved reporting capabilities, many still struggle with using the system. There were several areas of concern that were mentioned as part of the feedback process:

Insufficient documentation of the change in impacted business processes and challenges around user training left significant numbers unprepared to use MOSAIC successfully
Performance has been a regular frustration of those trying to use the system
Communication challenges around the status of MOSAIC issues, enhancements and fixes, including MOSAIC sustainment committee work

Beyond MOSAIC there are a number of concerns around IT that were regularly identified by the stakeholder groups. These include:

Insufficient clarity and transparency of an institutional IT vision. The existing IT strategic plan is not enterprise-wide and does not address all critical mission areas (including research and teaching and learning). Stakeholders do not feel they have adequate opportunities for participation and input in an IT strategic planning process
A perceived lack of long-term planning and on-going investment in basic IT infrastructure. Wi-Fi and Network were consistently mentioned as examples of what users would deem a basic core need that is not being adequately met
Significant challenges in identifying how and where to obtain IT services and perceived duplication of some core IT services
Challenges with the variant funding models across the IT units
A perceived lack of IT resources in units across the University
A lack of transparency around IT mandates, roles and responsibilities and around core IT costs and charges
Gaps in customer service focus between the local faculty/specialized IT units and the central IT unit (UTS)
A lack of confidence and trust in the IT services provided by the central IT unit (UTS), which has been the case for decades
A lack of supported and cost effective (or no cost) basic core services (web spaces, data storage and back-up, for example).
A lack of coordinated software licensing and management processes
Decentralized and uncoordinated purchase processes for IT hardware, software and other services with a lack of identified solutions and preferred vendors
An uncoordinated and decentralized Web/CMS structure, lack of basic services for creating and managing web content, with inconsistencies in McMaster webpages and a potential for non-compliance with regulations and standards
Many researchers have typically been well supported; however, there is a lack of core, basic research IT services available to all and a concern around researchers not being able to access the services they need as granting and funding agencies eliminate or limit IT expenditures
A lack of an enterprise-wide teaching and learning technology strategy and vision, including how basic online learning enhancements should be supported and funded

While it is true that there are a number of areas that stakeholders find challenging with IT services, a good number also recognized that now is the time to address them in order for IT to improve. Working together to find solutions will be a necessary part of the process.

Conclusion

The Committee greatly appreciates the candid and honest feedback received from all participants. A clear desire for change around IT service delivery at McMaster is evident. The feedback received demonstrates both the willingness and enthusiasm of stakeholders to participate. While the need and desire for change was clear, stakeholders also recognized that there will be significant challenges to overcome.

All feedback from the face-to-face sessions and written submissions is being considered as the Committee develops its report and recommendations. It is anticipated that the report will be released in the Fall. If you feel that something crucial has been missed or not captured appropriately, please do reach out to the project team at cr_itrev@mcmaster.ca or denneyk@mcmaster.ca.

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<strong><em>Review Status</em></strong>

The IT Services Review review has been in progress for just over six months and is taking a deep and expansive look at all IT services delivered across the university. The scope of the review includes all units and departments that provide or support IT services. There are four key information gathering activities underway capturing the data and information the Committee requires to develop its findings and recommendations. These include:
<ol>
	<li><strong>Stakeholder feedback process</strong> – collection of direct feedback (either through face-to-face meetings with the Committee panel or through written submissions in response to an IT Services questionnaire)</li>
	<li><strong>Online community survey</strong> – a comprehensive online survey regarding IT services delivered across the University, open to the entire McMaster community</li>
	<li><strong>IT expenditure analysis</strong> – determining how much the University spends on IT including the expenditures by departments and units for hardware and other needs and services</li>
	<li><strong>IT Services environmental scan</strong> – a comprehensive inventory of McMaster’s IT services through the completion of an online survey by IT units and those departments housing IT support</li>
</ol>
<strong><em>Stakeholder Feedback Process</em></strong>

A critical activity of the review has been the Stakeholder Feedback Process outlined in 1 above, where the Committee obtained direct feedback from stakeholders. In March 2016, the Committee spent two days on campus meeting with 18 stakeholder groups (approximately 85 individuals) from the faculty, staff and student communities. Those meetings involved people from across the six faculties and from various University departments. Additional meetings with the Committee have occurred since the onsite sessions. These involved another five stakeholder groupings (and approximately 20 individuals). In addition to the face-to-face sessions, approximately 75 individuals have submitted written feedback on IT service delivery at McMaster. For the complete list of stakeholder groupings and the IT feedback questionnaire, please refer to the <a href="http://www.mcmaster.ca/itreview/index.html">IT Services website</a>. This participation in the stakeholder feedback process demonstrates substantial interest of the community and its high level of engagement in this subject.

<strong><em>Overview</em></strong>

The Committee heard direct and detailed feedback from these groups and individuals. Many diverse opinions and priorities have been proposed. The underlying goal of the stakeholder feedback process is to provide individuals with an opportunity to share their opinions and make their views known. This process also typically points to concerns that people have and isn’t necessarily designed to solicit commentary on what they find works best. Therefore, due to the very nature of this process, the focus is on areas that people feel require improvement and are areas of most concern relating to IT services at McMaster. This document is meant neither to capture each and every opinion, nor to be specific to any one set of opinions or suggestions. It is meant to share the common themes arising from the stakeholder feedback process.

It is also important to note that this document does not include any opinion or view of the Committee itself – these themes are purely the perspective of the stakeholder groups that were interviewed.

<strong><em>Common Stakeholder Feedback Themes</em></strong>

It is clear there is a high level of concern regarding IT at McMaster. Both IT service providers, and those receiving and depending on IT services, share significant frustration with the current IT situation and environment. The depth and breadth of the concerns are university-wide and significant.

During these discussions it was also clear there are high and significant levels of engagement and enthusiasm around how to improve the IT environment at McMaster. All Committee sessions involved thoughtful suggestions by participants to improve McMaster’s IT delivery.

The current IT environment needs to be set in the context of the recent MOSAIC ERP implementation. The implementation of MOSAIC was the University’s most pressing and urgent IT priority, which resulted in other projects and needs being put on hold and resources being allocated to support the priority project.

The implementation of, and transition to, the MOSAIC ERP has been a challenge for many across campus. While many administrative users have indicated that the functionality of Mosaic has greatly improved reporting capabilities, many still struggle with using the system. There were several areas of concern that were mentioned as part of the feedback process:
<ul>
	<li>Insufficient documentation of the change in impacted business processes and challenges around user training left significant numbers unprepared to use MOSAIC successfully</li>
	<li>Performance has been a regular frustration of those trying to use the system</li>
	<li>Communication challenges around the status of MOSAIC issues, enhancements and fixes, including MOSAIC sustainment committee work</li>
</ul>
Beyond MOSAIC there are a number of concerns around IT that were regularly identified by the stakeholder groups. These include:
<ul>
	<li>Insufficient clarity and transparency of an institutional IT vision. The existing IT strategic plan is not enterprise-wide and does not address all critical mission areas (including research and teaching and learning). Stakeholders do not feel they have adequate opportunities for participation and input in an IT strategic planning process</li>
	<li>A perceived lack of long-term planning and on-going investment in basic IT infrastructure. Wi-Fi and Network were consistently mentioned as examples of what users would deem a basic core need that is not being adequately met</li>
	<li>Significant challenges in identifying how and where to obtain IT services and perceived duplication of some core IT services</li>
	<li>Challenges with the variant funding models across the IT units</li>
	<li>A perceived lack of IT resources in units across the University</li>
	<li>A lack of transparency around IT mandates, roles and responsibilities and around core IT costs and charges</li>
	<li>Gaps in customer service focus between the local faculty/specialized IT units and the central IT unit (UTS)</li>
	<li>A lack of confidence and trust in the IT services provided by the central IT unit (UTS), which has been the case for decades</li>
	<li>A lack of supported and cost effective (or no cost) basic core services (web spaces, data storage and back-up, for example).</li>
	<li>A lack of coordinated software licensing and management processes</li>
	<li>Decentralized and uncoordinated purchase processes for IT hardware, software and other services with a lack of identified solutions and preferred vendors</li>
	<li>An uncoordinated and decentralized Web/CMS structure, lack of basic services for creating and managing web content, with inconsistencies in McMaster webpages and a potential for non-compliance with regulations and standards</li>
	<li>Many researchers have typically been well supported; however, there is a lack of core, basic research IT services available to all and a concern around researchers not being able to access the services they need as granting and funding agencies eliminate or limit IT expenditures</li>
	<li>A lack of an enterprise-wide teaching and learning technology strategy and vision, including how basic online learning enhancements should be supported and funded</li>
</ul>
While it is true that there are a number of areas that stakeholders find challenging with IT services, a good number also recognized that now is the time to address them in order for IT to improve.   Working together to find solutions will be a necessary part of the process.

<strong><em>Conclusion</em></strong>

The Committee greatly appreciates the candid and honest feedback received from all participants. A clear desire for change around IT service delivery at McMaster is evident. The feedback received demonstrates both the willingness and enthusiasm of stakeholders to participate. While the need and desire for change was clear, stakeholders also recognized that there will be significant challenges to overcome.

All feedback from the face-to-face sessions and written submissions is being considered as the Committee develops its report and recommendations. It is anticipated that the report will be released in the Fall. If you feel that something crucial has been missed or not captured appropriately, please do reach out to the project team at <a href="mailto:cr_itrev@mcmaster.ca">cr_itrev@mcmaster.ca</a> or <a href="mailto:denneyk@mcmaster.ca">denneyk@mcmaster.ca</a>.

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